Student Aid Resources
Thank you for your interest in financial aid and/or scholarships for your education. Although my office does not directly provide any student aid or grant money, I hope that the information below is useful to you.
Maryland-specific Resources
The State of Maryland offers residents a variety of scholarships, loans and tuition exemptions.
- Legislative scholarships are available through your state senator and delegates.
- To find out who your state senator/delegates are and how to apply, visit http://www.mdelect.net. I encourage you to contact your local elected officials directly for information about their scholarships.
- Consider prepaid tuition and college savings ("Section 529") plans: College Savings Plans Network.
- Search your Internet browser under terms such as student financial aid or assistance AND Maryland.
- Refer to the Maryland Higher Education Commission for more information on scholarships/financial aid offered to Maryland students.
- Social Work: Scholarships
Colleges and universities provide 20% of aid, most need-based. Check university Web sites and the institution's financial aid office when you apply for admission.
Private foundations, corporations and organizations offer scholarships or grants:
Study Abroad: Financial Assistance
In addition to using International Financial Aid for study abroad funding opportunities, you may also wish to refer to your school’s financial aid page to see available types of aid.
Information on Maryland universities and their study abroad programs can be found here:
- University of Maryland: Education Abroad
- Towson University: Study Abroad Aid
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Study Abroad Aid
- University of Maryland, Eastern Shore: Study Abroad Office
- Salisbury University: Study Abroad Aid
- Morgan State University: Study Abroad Grants & Scholarships
- Bowie State University: International Initiatives
- Coppin State University: Global Studies
- Frostburg State University: Study Abroad
Although my office is not able to award scholarship funding, we can send you a financial aid and scholarship resource packet. If you would like one, please contact my office at (301) 545-1500.
Financial Aid for Students
Guides students through the process of locating and applying for financial aid. Prepared by the Congressional Research Service for the U.S. Senate, updated January 2024
Getting Started
Student Aid and Where it Comes From
Targeted Aid for Specific Groups
Repaying Your Loans
Getting Started |
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- Start gathering information early.
- Free information is readily available from:
- High school counselors
- College and career school financial aid offices (where you plan to attend)
- Local and college libraries
- Federal Student Aid (U.S. Department of Education)
- Other Internet sites (search terms student financial aid OR assistance)
- Ask questions: counselors may know if you have exceptional circumstances that affect your eligibility.
- Keep copies of all forms and correspondence: you must reapply for aid each year.
- Parents of students: save money long before your child attends college.
- FinAid: for Parents
- College Savings Plan Network (state "Section 529" plans)
- Tax incentives for higher education expenses
- Good overviews:
- Beware of scholarship scams -- don't pay for free information!
Student Aid and Where it Comes From |
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Basic assistance categories:
- Financial need-based
Remember that students and their parents are responsible for paying what they can-- financial aid is a supplement, not a substitute, for family resources. - Non-need-based
Factors include academic excellence, ethnic background, or organization membership. Corporations may also offer assistance to employees and children.
Federal Student Aid:
- Provides nearly 70% of student aid under Loans, Grants and Work/study programs.
- Available to all need-based applicants; some loans and competitive scholarships for non need-based.
- Free information from the U.S. Department of Education:
- Loans are the most common federal aid and must be repaid when you graduate or leave college:
- About Stafford Loans
- About Federal Direct PLUS Loans parental loans, not need-based.
- About Perkins Loans for the most needy undergraduates; through participating schools.
- Scholarships/grants are mostly need-based and require no repayment:
- "Congressional" scholarships:
- Named for Member of Congress or other prominent individual (such as Fulbright)
- Merit-based and highly competitive.
- Members of Congress do not play a role in selecting recipients.
- Work study programs allow you to earn money while in school:
- Federal Work Study Program: campus jobs for undergraduate and graduate students
- USA Jobs: Welcome Students and Recent Graduates: jobs with the federal government
For questions not covered by the Department of Education Web site, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.
Targeted Aid for Special Groups |
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- Grants for Minorities: Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, Native Americans, and Other Ethnic Groups
- African Americans: Scholarships - UNCF
- Disabled students: Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities - Fast Web
- Foreign students: Financial Aid for International Students
- Hispanic Americans: Scholarships - Hispanic Scholarship Fund
- Financial Aid for Law School: Law School Admission Council
- Medical students: Scholarship Finder - Association of American Medical Colleges
- Native Americans: American Indian College Fund
- Study abroad (for U.S. and non-U.S. citizens): International Financial Aid
- Veterans: Education Benefits - VA
Interested in public service?
Federal assistance programs seek to encourage people to work in geographic areas or professions where there's a particular need (such as doctors in underserved areas); encourage underrepresented groups to enter a particular profession; and provide aid in exchange for services provided (such as military service).
- AmeriCorps Segal Education Award
- Volunteers who complete one year of service receive an education award for current higher education expenses or to repay student loans.
- Army Tuition Assistance
- Additional benefits for Army personnel.
- Bureau of Health Professions
- Scholarships and loans to needy health profession students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Indian Health Service
- Scholarships for American Indian/Alaskan Native health profession students and loan repayment for persons working in IHS facilities.
- Military academies:
- National Health Service Corps
- Scholarships and loan repayment for health profession students who agree to work in underserved areas.
- Nurse Corps Scholarship Program - HRSA
- Offered in exchange for two years of service in areas with critical nursing shortages.
- Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
- For students who want to be commissioned as officers after graduating from college.
- USA Jobs: Welcome Students and Recent Graduates
- Employment, internships, cooperative education, scholarships, grants, and fellowships with federal agencies.
Aid for private K-12 education: No direct federal assistance, check with schools themselves:
- Coverdell Education Savings Accounts
- For elementary and secondary school expenses as well as higher education.
Repaying Your Loans |
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After college, the federal government has ways to help you repay your loans.
- Eligibility depends upon the type of loan, when it was made, and whether it's in default. Check with your loan officer to find out if you qualify.
- Loan Consolidation: combine your federal loans into a single loan with one monthly payment.
- Sometimes loans may be canceled in exchange for public service.
- Teachers: Cancellation/Deferment Options
- Health professions: National Health Service Corps
- Law school graduates: Student Loan Repayment and Forgiveness
- Federal employees: Federal Student Loan Repayment Program
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Advice for Repaying Student Loans
